Do ancient Chinese people simply say “greetings” and “thank you” as the subtitles in Empresses in the Palace show?

Empresses In The Palace
Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Empresses-Palace-Complete-English-Subtitled/dp/B00YAZQNMAhttps://www.amazon.com/Empresses-Palace-Complete-English-Subtitled/dp/B00YAZQNMA 

The Legend of Zhenhuan, a hit Chinese TV drama about Imperial Harem in the Qing Dynasty, has been introduced into foreign markets by Netflix in the name of Empresses In The Palace in 2015 with great anticipation. Except for the dramatic and stirring harem rivalry scenes, it is a good chance for the foreign audience to take a glimpse at the ancient Chinese culture and its political system since the drama is adapted based on a true historical story. 

If you are interested, you can follow the link below

here is the link to complete works of Empresses In The Palace

To a Chinese TV drama fan, however, the subtitles of Empresses in the Palace fail to reveal the very essence of ancient Chinese social status and can seriously compromise audiences’ understanding of characters. Such loss in translation may lead to further misunderstanding in Chinese culture from a foreign audience’s perspective. Let’s see what details are missing in the translation of subtitles. 

Are appellations necessary to translate? 

Greetings in Episode 1

Expressing gratitude in Episode 1 

In the first episode, when the emperor greats the emperor dowager, he delivers his humble respects with one of his kneels getting down to the ground at the same time. The illustration perfectly shows that China is known as a state of etiquette and ceremonies. In the original script, the emperor says “bring my respects to your Majesty (给皇额娘请安)”. However, in the subtitle, the procedural etiquette is reduced to “greetings, mother”. But what even worse is the translation of gratitude: when the emperor expresses his appreciation to the emperor dowager by saying “thank you so much, your Majesty (多谢皇额娘)”, the mere caption only shows “thank you so much”. 

Why are appellations so important in ancient China? 

The appellation is probably deemed unnecessary and tedious from a foreign translator’s view, but it is an important cultural symbol in China to understand the historical background that implies power relations and social norms. Especially in Qing Dynasty, where the story takes place, sociological variables play an indispensable role in such an absolute imperial monarchy with authority vested in an emperor as the head. The subtitles fill the whole drama with habitual phrases as “greetings” and “thank you so much”, which is more likely to happen in everyday normal life. The scene is depicted as harmonious with equal relations. But just looking at the emperor’s behavior of lowering his head and bending down, do you feel weird when seeing the chill subtitles at the same time? Something goes wrong here! When the translators deemphasize the appellation of the senior and the powerful, which is considered as a rule of politeness for ancient Chinese, the audiences can be baffled by the relationships and character features in the play. They may even neglect the monarchy characteristics and power hierarchy that lies beyond the core of the drama to trigger deeper thoughts. 

the highly-hierarchical system in Qing Dynasty
Retrieved from https://chinarev1911.weebly.com/social.html

How did people address themselves in ancient China? 

Addressing oneself in Episode 1

Except that the ancient Chinese have special ways to call others, they also have a unique way of addressing themselves, which continues to be used nowadays. For example, in the drama, the servant says “as servants, we have no right to talk to the emperor (咱们做奴才的想劝也张不了口啊)”, which is again mistranslated by neglecting its appellation. The mention of his own identity as a servant, which foreign people might try to avoid in most circumstances, is quite frequent in a Chinese context. 

Today, in an age where the monarchy system has already been overthrown, Chinese people still perceive self-dispraise as a way of politeness to show humility. For example, Chinese people sometimes use “鄙人” to address themselves. There is no English equivalent and may probably be simply translated into “I” by foreigners who are not familiar with Chinese culture, but it means “a lower self” or “your humble servant”. The maximization of dispraise to oneself is considered as a modesty maxim that Chinese people use to show humbleness. 

Retrieved from https://aridemvintoni.blogspot.com/2013/10/politeness-principle.html

Translators are not only channels of global communication, but more importantly, they are cultural transmitters. Through accurate translation that displays the complete picture, foreign audiences can take a peek at different cultures and may even benefit from it in future communication. And next time when you find a Chinese trying to dispraise himself or herself, don’t be horrified! They probably just want to show modesty. 

Hope it can help you understand Chinese TV drama and Chinese culture!😄

Posted by Cassie